CN114838829A

CN114838829A - Thermal image selection notification device and thermal image selection notification method

Info

Publication number: CN114838829A
Application number: CN202210303638.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王浩
Original assignee: Hangzhou Mission Infrared Electro Optics Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hangzhou Mission Infrared Electro Optics Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2012-12-27
Filing date: 2012-12-27
Publication date: 2022-08-02
Also published as: CN103900705A

Abstract

The invention discloses a thermal image selection notification device and a thermal image selection notification method, and relates to the application fields of thermal image devices, thermal image processing devices and infrared thermal imaging detection. In the thermal image device in the prior art, a shot object thermal image needs to be shot by depending on the subjective experience of a user during shooting, the workload is large, and the quality of the thermal image is difficult to ensure; the invention provides a thermal image selection notification device and a thermal image selection notification method, which can automatically detect the specified information of a specific shot thermal image in an acquired thermal image data frame, or automatically select a thermal image data frame meeting specified conditions from continuously acquired thermal image data frames and notify the thermal image data frame by considering the factors of auxiliary information. To facilitate further processing or manipulation, such as analysis, storage, etc. Therefore, the shooting operation is simple, the shooting speed is high, and the thermal image quality is high.

Description

Thermal image selection notification device and thermal image selection notification method

Technical Field

The invention discloses a thermal image selection notification device and a thermal image selection notification method, and relates to the application fields of various thermal image devices for handheld shooting or online shooting, thermal image processing equipment for receiving and processing thermal images, and infrared detection.

Background

Since the application of the thermal image detection technology, a user is always confused about the cognition of the imaging form of a shot object under the condition of a correct shooting part and a shooting angle and the control of the shooting distance, which depend on the subjective idea and experience of the user, so that the shooting and thinking are required at the same time if the detection quality is required to be ensured, the shooting speed is very low, and the defects of the key shooting part or the shot object are easily omitted if the speed is increased, thereby influencing the state evaluation effect. It usually takes years of practice to accumulate to reach a high level of detection for the user.

The technical problem is that a reference image representing the morphological characteristics of a subject and an infrared thermal image are continuously displayed in an overlapping manner, and a user takes the reference image as a visual reference for shooting a thermal image of a specific subject to shoot the subject, so as to ensure the position and size of the thermal image of the specific subject in the infrared thermal image and the correctness of the morphological characteristics of the thermal image of the specific subject, and ensure the shooting quality. For example, patent document application No.: 201210008404.6 discloses such a thermal image capture device.

However, in the above manner, the user needs to judge the matching degree of the reference image and the thermal image of the specific object by visual manual work, and the user is easy to have visual fatigue; when a handheld thermal imaging device is used, the operation of aiming for shooting is easy to be fatigue, the shooting time is repeatedly aimed for prolonging, and the quality of the shot thermal image is influenced. Moreover, the operation of the mode is rigid, and the requirement on shooting alignment is high.

Therefore, it is understood that there is a need for a thermal image selection notification apparatus that can automatically select thermal image data frames meeting the specified conditions from among the acquired thermal image data frames without excessively relying on the subjective idea of the user, and perform notification to facilitate the processing or operation such as analysis, storage, etc., thereby making the operation simple, obtaining high quality thermal image data frames,

disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a thermal image selection notification device and a thermal image selection notification method, which can automatically detect specified information such as the position, size, inclination angle, value of correlation degree and the like of a specific shot object in an obtained thermal image data frame, or also consider factors of auxiliary information, so that thermal image data frames meeting specified conditions can be automatically selected from continuously obtained thermal image data frames, and further processing or operation such as notification, analysis, storage and the like is facilitated. Therefore, the shooting operation is simple, the shooting speed is high, and the thermal image quality is high. Furthermore, the invention is also suitable for detecting eligible thermal image data frames from a large number of processed thermal image data frames (e.g. obtained from a thermal image file).

Therefore, the invention adopts the following technical scheme that the thermal image selection notification device is provided with,

the acquisition part is used for continuously acquiring thermal image data frames;

the detection part is used for detecting the specified information related to the thermal image of the specific object in the thermal image data frames based on the thermal image data frames continuously acquired by the acquisition part;

a comparison unit for comparing the predetermined information detected by the detection unit and/or an evaluation value obtained based on the predetermined information detected by the detection unit with a predetermined contrast value;

and a notification unit configured to perform notification based on a comparison result of the comparison unit.

The thermal image selection notification method of the invention has the advantages that,

an acquisition step, which is used for continuously acquiring thermal image data frames;

a detection step for detecting prescribed information related to the thermal image of the specific object in the thermal image data frames based on the thermal image data frames continuously acquired in the acquisition step;

a comparison step of comparing the predetermined information obtained by the detection step and/or an evaluation value obtained based on the predetermined information obtained by the detection with a predetermined contrast value;

a selection step of selecting specific information related to a prescribed thermal image data frame based on a comparison result of the comparison step; the specific information is one or more of thermal image data frames selected from the thermal image data frames continuously acquired in the acquiring step, thermal image data frames selected from the thermal image data frames subjected to specified processing continuously acquired in the acquiring step, data obtained from the thermal image data frames selected from the thermal image data frames continuously acquired in the acquiring step subjected to specified processing, obtained specified information detected, an evaluation value obtained based on the obtained specified information detected, and prompt information generated based on the specified information and/or the evaluation value;

and a notification step of performing notification based on the specific information selected in the selection step.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

Description of the drawings:

fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a thermal image device 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a profile view of the thermal image device 100 of embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of object information, object identification information, and the like stored in the storage medium of embodiment 1.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of detection windows for different parameters.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a detection window provided in a detection area for detection.

Fig. 6 is a display example of a display interface of the processing procedure of embodiment 1.

Fig. 7 is a control flowchart showing embodiment 1.

Fig. 8 is a control flowchart showing embodiment 2.

Fig. 9 is a display example of a display interface of the processing procedure of embodiment 2.

Fig. 10 is a control flowchart showing embodiment 3.

Fig. 11 is a display example of a display interface of the processing procedure of embodiment 4.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following examples are to be described for better understanding of the present invention, so the scope of the present invention is not limited and various forms within the scope of the present invention may be changed. Also, although the present invention is used for a handheld thermographic photographing apparatus in the following embodiments, a photographing function is not essential to the present invention, and any thermographic image data source to be subject-specific detected may be used. The invention is therefore widely used for thermal image processing devices for reading and playing or displaying recorded thermal images, or for receiving and processing thermal images from the outside. The thermal image processing apparatus includes various devices such as a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, and the like.

Example 1

The thermal image device 100 (thermal image selection notification device) of embodiment 1 detects the degree of correlation between the acquired thermal image data frame and the subject identification information based on the thermal image data frame acquired by the shooting section 1 (the thermal image data frame acquired by the shooting means is a thermal image signal frame), and the thermal image device 100 notifies the user based on the specific information about the thermal image data frame corresponding to the maximum degree of correlation acquired.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a thermal image device 100 that is an example of a thermal image selection notification device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Specifically, the thermal image device 100 includes an image capturing unit 1, a temporary storage unit 2, a flash memory 3, a communication I/F4, a memory card I/F5, a memory card 6, an image processing unit 7, a detection unit 8, a display control unit 9, and a display unit 10, and the control unit 11, the operation unit 12, and the control unit 11 are connected to the corresponding units via a control and data bus 13, and are responsible for overall control of the thermal image device 100.

The imaging unit 1 is configured by an optical component, a lens driving component, an infrared detector, a signal preprocessing circuit, and the like, which are not shown. The optical component is composed of an infrared optical lens for focusing the received infrared radiation to the infrared detector. The lens driving part drives the lens to perform focusing or zooming operation according to a control signal of the control part 11. Furthermore, it may be an optical component that is manually adjusted. An infrared detector, such as a refrigeration or non-refrigeration type infrared focal plane detector, converts infrared radiation passing through the optical components into electrical signals. The signal preprocessing circuit includes a sampling circuit, an AD conversion circuit, a timing trigger circuit, and the like, performs signal processing such as sampling on an electrical signal output from the infrared detector in a predetermined period, and converts the electrical signal into a digital thermal image signal, for example, binary data (also referred to as an AD value) of 14 bits or 16 bits, through the AD conversion circuit. In embodiment 1, the photographing section 1 serves as an example of an acquisition section.

The thermal image data may be a thermal image signal (AD value data obtained by AD converting an output signal of an infrared detector), or image data of an infrared thermal image, or array data of temperature values, or other data generated based on the thermal image signal. The thermal image data is exemplified by thermal image signals hereinafter.

The temporary storage unit 2 is a volatile memory such as RAM, DRAM, or the like, and is used as a buffer memory for temporarily storing the thermal image data frames output by the image capturing unit 1, and for example, the following processing is repeated to temporarily store the acquired thermal image data frames for a predetermined time, and when a new frame is acquired by the acquiring unit (image capturing unit 1), the old frame is deleted and the new thermal image data frame is stored; at the same time, the image processing unit 7, the detection unit 8, the control unit 11, and the like function as working memories, and temporarily store data to be processed. Not limited to this, a memory, a register, or the like included in a processor such as the image processing unit 7, the detection unit 8, or the control unit 11 may be interpreted as a type of temporary storage medium.

The flash memory 3 stores a program for control and various data used for control of each part. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, data related to calculation of the degree of correlation and the like is stored in the flash memory 3, for example, in a database (table 3) storing subject identification information, and subject information and subject identification information for each subject are stored in the feature database in association with each other, or may be stored in a data file or the like in a specific format. The subject information is information related to a subject, and includes, for example, information representing a subject location, a type, a number, and the like, and various information related to a subject, such as an attribution unit, a classification level (for example, a voltage level, an importance level, and the like), a model number, a manufacturer, performance, and characteristics, a history of past shooting or inspection, a manufacturing date, and a lifetime.

The communication I/F4 is an interface for connecting the thermal image device 100 to an external device and exchanging data according to communication specifications such as USB, 1394, and network, and examples of the external device include a personal computer, a server, a PDA (personal digital assistant), another thermal image device, a visible light camera, and a storage device.

The memory card I/F5 is connected to the memory card I/F5 as an interface of the memory card 6, is detachably mounted in a card slot of the thermal image device 100 main body, and records data such as thermal image data under the control of a recording control unit (not shown) of the control unit 11, as a rewritable nonvolatile memory of the memory card 6.

The image processing unit 7 is configured to perform predetermined processing on the thermal image data frames obtained by the imaging unit 1, for example, to select and read out frames for each predetermined time interval from among the thermal image data frames temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 2 for a predetermined time every time the display timing arrives; the image processing unit 7 performs processing such as correction, interpolation, pseudo color, synthesis, compression, decompression, and the like, and converts the data into data suitable for display, recording, and the like. The image processing unit 7 may be implemented by, for example, a DSP, another microprocessor, a programmable FPGA, or the like, or may be integrated with a processor corresponding to the detection unit 8 or the control unit 11.

The image processing unit 7 performs a predetermined process on thermal image data obtained by imaging by the imaging unit 1 to obtain image data of an infrared thermal image. Specifically, for example, the image processing unit 7 performs predetermined processing such as non-uniformity correction and interpolation on thermal image data captured by the imaging unit 1, performs pseudo-color processing on the thermal image data after the predetermined processing, and obtains image data of an infrared thermal image; one embodiment of pseudo color processing is to determine a corresponding pseudo color table range according to a range of thermal image data (AD value) or a set range of AD value, and to use a specific color value of the thermal image data corresponding to the pseudo color table range as the image data of the corresponding pixel position in the infrared thermal image. The image data obtained after the pseudo-color processing by the image processing section 7 is transferred to the temporary storage section 2 used as a buffer memory.

The detection part 8 calculates the correlation between the thermal image data frame and the identification information of the shot object based on the acquired thermal image data frame; the detection part 8 may sequentially and completely detect the continuously acquired thermal image data frames based on the thermal image data frames continuously acquired by the acquisition part, or may select a part of the thermal image data frames from the continuously acquired thermal image data frames for detection, for example, only read thermal image data frames at regular intervals for detection; for example, when a thermal image data frame with the correlation and/or the evaluation value larger than the contrast value is detected for the first time, the detection is not continued; starting or stopping the detection, for example, in response to a predetermined operation by the user; or the read thermal image data frame or the thermal image data in the detection window is subjected to reduction processing before detection; thus, the processing load associated with detection can be reduced.

The thermal image data may be a thermal image signal (AD value), or image data of an infrared thermal image, or array data of temperature values, or other data obtained based on the thermal image signal. For example, the detection section 8 may perform the detection processing of the degree of correlation with the registered object identification information by reading the thermal image signal frame captured by the imaging section 1 stored in the temporary storage section 2 or by reading data (for example, image data of an infrared thermal image obtained by pseudo-color processing) obtained by performing prescribed processing on the thermal image signal frame captured by the imaging section 1 by the image processing section stored in the temporary storage section 2, based on the control of the control section 11. The frame of thermal image data acquired by the image pickup unit 1 is not limited to the frame, and may be a frame of thermal image signals (or an image frame of an infrared thermal image) acquired by decoding data inputted from the outside by a predetermined process, for example, by I/F4. Or may be acquired from a recording medium, for example, a thermal image signal frame (or an image frame of an infrared thermal image) obtained by reading a thermal image file from the memory card 5.

The detection unit 8 includes a feature registration unit, a detection window setting unit, and a detection unit (not shown).

A feature registration unit for registering object identification information relating to the correlation calculation. For example, the subject identification information may be registered from subject identification information stored in advance in a storage medium; for example, the subject identification information used for the correlation calculation is registered in accordance with the subject identification information associated with the subject information selected by the user. Further, the subject identification information may also be specified by the user, and the subject identification information (e.g., template data, or extracted feature amount) may be obtained by specifying a subject region from the display image, for example. The registered subject identification information is stored in a predetermined position of the temporary storage unit 2, for example, or is distinguished from other stored subject identification information by a mark when stored.

The subject identification information may be template data for template matching; the object identification information may be a feature quantity described by a parameter, i.e., a feature quantity (a feature such as a point, a line, or a plane) determined based on the state of the pixels included in the detection window, such as the ratio of pixels in a predetermined portion in a specific detection window, the average value of pixel values, and the center point or the area of the outline of the specific object. For example, the object identification information is the template data 301 for the object 1 in table 3, and the object identification information is the feature amount 302 for the object 2 in table 3. In a specific application, one or more of these combinations may be selected according to circumstances.

And the detection window setting unit is used for setting the detection window. For example, according to a detection region (e.g., G1 in fig. 5) of a certain range, a plurality of detection windows (e.g., parameters of the detection windows are predetermined according to quality requirements) may be set in the detection region G1, and the detection windows may be a plurality of detection windows of different sizes, or may be detection windows that are tilted at a closer step, as shown in fig. 4, where fig. 4(a) is a standard detection window, fig. 4(b) is a detection window based on a reduced size, fig. 4(c) is a detection window set in an enlarged size, and fig. 4(d) is a detection window set tilted at a predetermined angle. In order to be equal to the size of the detection window, the template image is used here in a reduced or enlarged or further tilted state, or a template image having a size equal to the window size may be prepared and stored for use. In addition, the thermal image data in the detection window may also be used in a reduced or enlarged or also tilted state to correspond to the template image. The detection window is not limited to a square shape, and may have other shapes, for example, according to the shape of the template.

The detection area can be set by a user according to shooting habits; or may be pre-stored as being associated with the subject information; or generated according to the position of the thermal image of the specific shot object detected last time; the detection area may not be set, that is, the range of the default thermal image data frame is the detection area. A plurality of detection windows may be provided at positions and sizes designated by the user. Further, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of detection windows, and only one detection window may be provided.

It should be noted that for the application field of infrared detection, such as a substation, where a large number of devices with similar appearances but different names are filled, it is preferable to set the detection area in order to avoid misleading users and misshooting. The marks of the detection areas are displayed in an overlapped mode on the infrared thermal images, so that a user can easily understand the approximate position, size and the like of the shot specific shot thermal images, and shooting reference is facilitated. And the speed of the detection process can be increased, but the detection area may not be displayed.

And the detection unit is used for acquiring the correlation value for evaluating the similarity degree according to the registered shot object identification information based on the thermal image data in the detection window set by the detection window setting unit in the read thermal image data frame. When a plurality of detection windows are set, for example, the value of the maximum correlation obtained by detection therein may be used as the value of the correlation of the thermal image data frame.

The detection processing of the detection part 8 can be a detection mode based on template matching, and the correlation degree calculation and comparison are carried out on the basis of the thermal image data in the detection window and the template image; for example, the detection unit calculates the sum of differences between pixels at positions where the infrared thermal images in the detection window and the infrared thermal images as the template correspond to each other, and the smaller the calculated sum of differences, the higher the degree of correlation.

The embodiment may also be configured to extract the feature quantities for matching, and the correlation may be determined by comparing the template with the feature quantities of the thermal image data in the detection window. For example, the proportion of a specific pixel of the object image in the extraction detection window is higher as the proportion of the specific pixel in the template image is closer.

The detection processing of the detection unit 8 may be performed based on the detection embodiment of the feature amount described by the parameter, and the feature amount of the thermal image data in the detection window may be obtained by performing a predetermined calculation and compared with a reference value (object identification information) of the feature amount to obtain a value of the degree of correlation. For example, the reference value of the characteristic quantity is the proportion of pixels with specific pixel values, the detection unit calculates the proportion of pixels with specific pixel values in the thermal image data, and the proportion is compared with the reference value of the characteristic quantity to obtain the value of the correlation degree between the proportion and the reference value.

Preferably, the contour image is used as a matched template, and the detection unit 8 calculates the correlation by, for example, extracting thermal image data located in a detection window by the detection unit 8, and binarizing the read thermal image data in the detection window according to a predetermined threshold value of the AD value; then, extracting connected images of the binary image, wherein the pixels with the preset pixel value (1 or 0) are connected; then judging whether the connected image has the size of a preset range; if the size of the connected image is judged to be within the predetermined range, comparison processing is further performed between the extracted connected image and the registered template, for example, the sum of the proportions of the overlapping area between the two in the respective total areas is calculated, thereby obtaining the correlation between the extracted thermal image data and the template.

For an example of detection, as shown in fig. 5, the detection section 8 moves the window J1 from the upper left corner to the lower right corner of the prescribed detection area G1 of the thermal image data frame 501 for detection, cuts out the thermal image data in the window, and detects its correlation with the template image T1. Specifically, the window J1 is moved stepwise by a window displacement (e.g., one pixel) of a prescribed value from the left end to the right end, and after reaching the right end, is set to return to the left end and move the window displacement downward, and then is moved stepwise to the right again. In order to detect a subject with high accuracy, the detected window size, window displacement, and conversion range of the tilt angle of the window are defined in advance, for example, the window size varies from 150 × 50 pixels to 120 × 40 pixels, the window displacement varies from 10 pixels to 1 pixel, and the tilt angle of the window varies from 0 ° to 10 ° based on the center point. The detection section 8 changes the window size 5 pixels by 5 pixels and changes the window displacement 1 pixel by 1 pixel and changes the window inclination angle 2 ° by 2 ° one by one. The detection part 8 calculates the correlation between the template image T1 and the thermal image data frame 501; after the detection of all the detection windows is completed, the correlation value obtained by the detection window with the highest correlation is selected from the detection windows as the correlation value corresponding to the thermal image data frame 501.

Note that various methods of calculating the degree of correlation of thermal image data frames based on the subject identification information are possible, and the above-exemplified processes are only examples of available methods.

And a display control unit 9 for displaying the image data for display stored in the temporary storage unit 2 on the display unit 10. For example, in a shooting standby mode, infrared thermal images generated by thermal image data obtained by shooting are continuously displayed; in the playback mode, the infrared thermal image read out and expanded from the memory card 6 is displayed, and in addition, various setting information can be displayed. Specifically, the display control unit 9 includes a VRAM, a VRAM control means, a signal generation means (not shown), and the like, and the signal generation means periodically reads image data from the VRAM (image data read from the temporary storage unit 2 and stored in the VRAM) under the control of the control unit 11, generates a video signal, and outputs the video signal to the display unit 10. In the thermal image device 100, the display portion 10 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device. The display unit 10 may be another display unit connected to the thermal image device 100, and the thermal image device 100 may have no display unit in its electrical structure, and the display control unit 9 may be an example of an output unit for displaying the image of the notification result.

In addition, in embodiment 1, the display section 10 is for displaying notification information based on the control of the notification section 11D; for example, the warning is performed by text and image, such as information showing the maximum correlation, infrared thermal image obtained by thermal image data frame showing the maximum correlation, or notification is performed along with the transparency, color, size, line shape, thickness, flicker, brightness, frame change of text and image.

The notification may be performed for a predetermined time. In addition, the thermal image device 100 may also be controlled by a vibration component, an indicator light (not shown), an analysis component (not shown), and a diagnosis component (not shown), wherein when the thermal image data frame with the maximum correlation degree is detected, the indicator light may generate light change, the vibration device may generate vibration, the analysis component may analyze and display the analysis result, and the diagnosis component may diagnose and display the diagnosis result; or simultaneously notify in one or more of the above manners, as long as the user can perceive it.

The control unit 11 controls the overall operation of the thermal image system 100, and a program for controlling and various data used for controlling each part are stored in a storage medium such as the flash memory 3. The control unit 11 is realized by, for example, a CPU, an MPU, an SOC, a programmable FPGA, or the like. In the present embodiment, the control unit 11, the display unit 10, and the like also function as a configuration of the subject selection means for selecting subject information.

The control unit 11 further includes a comparison unit 11A for comparing predetermined information detected by the detection unit 8 and/or an evaluation value obtained based on the predetermined information obtained by the detection with a predetermined contrast value, the predetermined information including at least one or any combination of values of a position, a size, an inclination angle, and a correlation of the specific subject thermal image; in embodiment 1, the correlation value of the thermal image data frame obtained by the detecting unit 8 is compared with the contrast value of the correlation. Note that the contrast value of the correlation may be a judgment value of the correlation (for example, stored in table 3 corresponding to the subject identification information, such as a contrast value set by a user) prepared in advance, and when the comparison value is greater than the contrast value, it is judged that the specific subject thermal image is present in the thermal image data frame; instead of the previously prepared contrast value of the correlation, the correlation value may be obtained from the correlation value in the thermal image data frame, for example, the correlation value obtained by the first detection processing may be used as the contrast value of the subsequent contrast correlation, and when the correlation is subsequently detected to be greater than the contrast value, the subsequent contrast correlation is updated.

The control unit 11 further includes a selection unit 11B for selecting specific information on a predetermined thermal image data frame based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 11A. The specific information selected is available for subsequent prescribed processing to be experienced, such as analysis, recording, notification, and the like.

The specific information related to the specified thermal image data frame may be specific information related to one or more thermal image data frames in the multiple thermal image data frames in the temporary storage 2; for example, based on the comparison result of the comparing section 11A, specific information on the thermal image data frame having the largest degree of correlation is selected; but is not limited to the frame of thermal image data with the maximum detected correlation, such as the frame before or after the time sequence of the frame with the maximum detected correlation, or the frame obtained by multi-frame operation, or the specific information related to the thermal image data frame corresponding to the correlation with the correlation earlier detected to be greater than the specified contrast value. It may also be configured to select specific information related to a plurality of frames of thermal image data, for example, to select specific information related to three frames of thermal image data with the first, second and third correlation degrees, or to select specific information related to frames of thermal image data with the same correlation degree.

Or, when the thermal image data frame with the maximum correlation degree is detected, the shooting part 1 shoots one or more frames in the plurality of thermal image data frames which are obtained and stored in the temporary storage part 2; alternatively, after the thermal image data frame with the maximum correlation is detected, the photographing unit 1 may photograph one or more frames of the plurality of thermal image data frames stored in the temporary storage unit 2.

The specific information is one or more of a thermal image data frame selected from the multi-frame thermal image data frames of the temporary storage unit 2, data obtained by performing specified processing on the thermal image data frame selected from the multi-frame thermal image data frames, specified information obtained by detection, an evaluation value obtained based on the specified information obtained by detection, and prompt information generated based on the specified information obtained by detection and/or the evaluation value.

The image processing method includes the steps of obtaining data obtained by performing specified processing on a thermal image data frame selected from a plurality of thermal image data frames, for example, obtaining data obtained by performing specified processing on the selected thermal image data frame, for example, obtaining image data of a specific object thermal image extracted from the thermal image data frame, for example, obtaining image data of a generated infrared thermal image, and for example, converting the thermal image data frame into an analysis numerical value such as an array of temperature numerical values.

The obtained specified information is detected, and the specified information, such as the specified information, at least comprises one or any combination of information of the position, the size, the inclination angle and the correlation value of the specific shot object thermal image.

The evaluation value obtained based on the predetermined information obtained by detection is obtained by weighting the predetermined information obtained by detection according to a weighting coefficient, a comparison table of the predetermined information and the evaluation value, and the like, to evaluate the quality of the thermal image.

The indication information generated based on the specified information obtained by detection and/or the evaluation value may be, for example, an indication that the specified information obtained by detection and/or the evaluation value is converted into percentage information that is easy for a user to understand.

The selection unit 11B controls to hold or not hold the selected specific information; the held specific information may be held in a predetermined area of the temporary storage unit 2 or may be held (stored) in a storage medium such as the flash memory 3. Hereinafter, the selector 11B holds specific information such as the thermal image data frame in a predetermined area of the temporary storage 2 as an example.

The selection unit 11B may hold the selected specific information all the time, or may hold the selected specific information under a predetermined condition, for example, the currently selected specific information is held for a predetermined time; for example, the current specific information is always maintained until a frame of thermal image data of greater relevance is detected; for example, the selected specific information is always held until the subject identification information for the detection comparison is changed; for example, specific information to be held according to an instruction from the user (for example, the user selects a specific information displayed in the display section to determine the holding). Or not, e.g., sent to other external devices via communication I/F4; e.g., undergo other processing such as deletion upon notification, etc.

The selection unit 11B updates the specific information held in the temporary storage unit 2 to specific information selected by the selection unit 11B subsequently, in accordance with a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition, for example, a predetermined time, for example, a predetermined number of thermal image data frames are detected, for example, according to the comparison result of the comparing unit 11A (a case where the correlation degree is greater than the correlation degree of the held thermal image data frames is obtained), for example, an instruction of the user, or the like. In addition, the specific information that was previously retained can be retained.

In embodiment 1, the selection unit 11B controls the selection, holding, and updating of the specific information based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 11A. If the correlation value of the thermal image of the specific object detected by the detection part 8 is greater than the contrast value of the correlation, the correlation value and the corresponding specific information such as the thermal image data frame are selected and kept in the storage media such as the temporary storage part 2; when the previous specific information such as the correlation value and the corresponding thermal image data frame exists, the previous specific information is replaced; until a subsequent frame of more highly correlated thermal image data is available, it can be replaced (a defined number of more highly correlated frames of thermal image data can also be maintained). In this way, the value of the maximum correlation and the corresponding specific information such as the thermal image data frame are retained. In addition, the specific information that was previously retained can be retained.

Note that the selecting unit 11B is not limited to selecting specific information about an optimal (e.g., maximum correlation) one frame of thermal image data, and may select, for example, suboptimal, or selecting multi-frame operation to obtain that frame, or may be configured to select specific information about a plurality of thermal image data frames, for example, selecting to store (maintain) specific information about three frames of thermal image data frames having the first, second, and third correlations, or possibly storing specific information about thermal image data frames having the same correlation among three frames.

The control unit 11 further includes a contrast value update unit 11C for updating the contrast value in accordance with a predetermined condition; after the comparison value is updated, the comparison unit 11A compares the predetermined information detected and obtained by the detection unit 8 and/or the evaluation value obtained based on the predetermined information obtained by the detection with the updated comparison value.

Updating conditions for the comparison value, such as user instructions; for example, the comparison value is updated based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 11A; for example, according to a predetermined time.

The comparison value may be updated in sequence from a plurality of comparison values prepared in advance, based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 11A; for example, three contrast values of the correlation are prepared, and when the correlation detected by the detection unit 8 is higher than the first contrast value, the second contrast value is subsequently updated, and when the correlation is higher than the second contrast value, the third contrast value is updated.

The comparison value may be updated based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 11A, or the comparison value prepared in advance may be updated based on predetermined information obtained by detection; for example, a value of the obtained correlation is detected by the detection unit 8, and when the value of the correlation is larger than a previously prepared contrast value of the correlation, the value of the obtained correlation is updated in place of the contrast value.

The comparison value is updated based on the comparison result of the comparison section 11A, or may be updated from me based on the prescribed information obtained by detection, in which there is no previously prepared comparison value; for example, the detection unit 8 detects a value of the obtained correlation, and updates the value of the obtained correlation in accordance with the comparison value when the value of the correlation is larger than the comparison value of the correlation (for example, a value of the correlation detected before is the largest as the comparison value).

The control unit 11 further includes a notification unit 11D for notifying the user based on the specific information and/or the information for updating the contrast value selected by the selection unit 11B with respect to the predetermined thermal image data frame. For example, based on the specific information related to the prescribed thermal image data frame selected and held by the selection portion 11B, the notification information obtained by the specific information is displayed together with the infrared thermal images obtained by the thermal image data frames continuously acquired by the acquisition portion. Preferably, the notification information obtained by the currently selected specific information and the infrared thermal images obtained by the thermal image data frames continuously acquired by the acquiring part are displayed together. For example, the thermal infrared images obtained from the thermal image data frame selected and held at present and the continuous thermal infrared images acquired by the imaging unit 1 are displayed together, and other notification information, such as a correlation value, an evaluation value, and the like, may be displayed simultaneously or individually. In addition, the dynamic infrared thermal image can also be switched to display the frozen image of the thermal image data frame.

When the selector 11B selects and maintains the specific information related to the plurality of thermal image data frames, the notification unit 11D may notify one or more of the plurality of thermal image data frames, for example, to jointly display the infrared thermal images obtained by the plurality of thermal image data frames and the continuous infrared thermal images obtained by the shooting unit 1.

The notification information is obtained according to the specific information about the predetermined thermal image data frame selected by the selection unit 11B, and for example, the value of the degree of correlation may be converted into information indicating a degree of similarity that is easy for a user to understand, and displayed; for example, the correlation value is converted to a percentage value according to a predetermined lookup table of the correlation value and the percentage, or a calculation manner (for example, the sum of the proportion of the overlapped area of the extracted specific subject contour and the contour T1 in the respective total areas is divided by 200%, that is, the correlation value is converted to a percentage value); other ways are also possible, such as displaying the value of the calculated correlation directly, such as displaying the value of the sum of the differences between pixel values directly, etc. Note that when no comparison is made with a prescribed contrast value representing whether or not the specific subject thermal image is detected (a determination value representing whether or not the specific subject thermal image matches the subject identification information), the displayed information of the degree of correlation does not necessarily represent whether or not the specific subject thermal image (matching) is detected. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the value of the correlation, the evaluation value, and the percentage value to which the contrast value is converted are taken as examples, but in practice, conversion to the percentage value is not necessary.

The notification may be performed for a predetermined time. Based on the control of the notification unit 11D, the display unit 10 may be caused to generate one or more changes such as a change in display content, vibration of a vibration member in the thermal image device 100, a change in light of an indicator lamp, sound of a sound member, and analysis processing of an analysis member (and the display unit 10 may be caused to display an analysis result), and the diagnosis member may perform diagnosis (and the display unit 10 may be caused to display a diagnosis result), and a pseudo-color change of infrared thermography; as long as it is in a manner that the user can perceive it.

The controller 11 includes a recording unit 11E (not shown) and records the thermal image data frames selected by the selector 11B and held in the temporary storage unit 2 in the memory card 8 in response to a predetermined recording instruction. The thermal image data frames are recorded to the memory card 8, for example, in response to an indication such as a user's selection of the notified thermal image data frames, for example, an indication such as a timed automatic recording.

The operation section 12: the control unit 11 executes a program in response to an operation signal from the operation unit 12, in order for the user to perform various instruction operations or various operations such as inputting setting information. The operation unit 12 will be described with reference to fig. 2, and the keys for the user to operate include a record key 1, a focus key 2, a confirm key 3, a playback key 4, a menu key 5, a direction key 6, and the like; the touch panel 7, a voice recognition unit (not shown), and the like may be used to perform the relevant operations.

The change of the display interface during the photographing process is explained with reference to fig. 6, and the control flow of the detection mode of the thermal image apparatus 100 is explained with reference to fig. 7. In the application scenario, for example, the user holds the thermal imaging device 100 to shoot the object of the transformer substation. The control unit 11 controls the overall operation of the thermal image apparatus 100 and controls the execution of the processing in the plurality of modes based on the control program stored in the flash memory 3 and various data used for controlling each part. After the power is turned on, the control part 11 initializes the internal circuit, and then enters a standby shooting mode, that is, the shooting part 1 shoots to obtain thermal image data, the image processing part 7 performs a predetermined process on the thermal image data shot by the shooting part 1 and stores the data in the temporary storage part 2, the display part 10 continuously displays infrared thermal images in a dynamic image form, in this state, the control part 11 performs its control to continuously monitor whether the processing is switched to another mode according to a predetermined operation or a shutdown operation is performed, and if so, the control enters a corresponding processing control. The control steps of the detection mode are as follows:

in step a01, the control unit 11 continuously monitors whether the user selects the detection mode.

In the standby shooting state, the display unit 10 displays the dynamic infrared thermal image, so that the user may be confused about the morphological characteristics of the specific subject thermal image IR1 and the imaging position, size and angle in the infrared thermal image where the specific subject thermal image IR1 is located, and in order to ensure the shooting quality specification, the detection mode is selected through the predetermined operation of the operation unit 12, and when the control unit 11 detects that the user selects the detection mode (step a 01: yes), the detection mode is entered for processing.

In step a02, the feature registration unit registers the object identification information. For example, the control unit 11 displays the object instruction information generated from the object information on the display unit 10 based on the table 3 stored in the flash memory 3, and when the user selects the "object 1" displayed on the display unit 10 through the operation unit 12 based on the "object 1" of the object at the shooting site, the feature registration unit specifies the object identification information for matching according to the selection of the user, reads the template data 301 from the flash memory 3, and transfers it to the temporary storage unit 2.

Step A03, acquiring a thermal image data frame, and transmitting the thermal image data frame acquired by the shooting part 1 to the temporary storage part 2;

next, in step a04, the thermal image data frame obtained by, for example, instant shooting by the shooting section 1 in the temporary storage section 2 is read, and a detection window is set by the detection window setting unit. For example, based on the upper left corner of the prescribed detection region G1, a detection window is first set;

step a05, a process of calculating the correlation between the thermal image data in the detection window and the subject identification information is performed.

The detection section 8 extracts thermal image data located in the detection window based on the detection window set by the detection window setting unit, and calculates the degree of correlation between the two on the basis of the template data 30(1 acquired contour image T1) registered by the feature registration unit. For example, the contour of a specific subject thermal image extracted from the thermal image data in the detection window is compared with the contour of the contour image T1, and the sum of the proportions of the overlapping areas in the respective total areas is calculated.

Then, in step a06, the obtained correlation value is stored.

In step a07, the detection section 8 determines whether or not the correlation has been calculated for all detection windows when the detection windows are set in the thermal image data frame. If there remains an area for which the correlation has not been calculated (no in step a 07), returning to step a04, the detection window setting unit shifts the position of the detection window by a predetermined number of pixels in a predetermined direction, sets the position as the next position of the detection window, and repeats the subsequent processing.

In addition, when a frame portion similar to the template is searched for from the frame of thermal image data, the detection processing similar to the above-described description is also performed for a detection window that is enlarged or reduced and the detection window J1 is tilted by a predetermined angle.

If the correlation degrees have been calculated for all detection windows of the thermal image data frame (yes in step a 07), the value of the detected maximum correlation degree (or also the position parameters of the corresponding detection window) is held in a prescribed area of the temporary storage 2 in step a 08.

In step a09, comparison is made with a contrast value of the correlation;

if the comparison value is smaller than the comparison value, the similarity degree between the specific object thermal image in the currently detected thermal image data frame and the contour image T1 is represented and is not superior to the previously obtained comparison value; returning to the step A03, repeating the subsequent processing; here, the user repeats the subsequent processes along with the adjustment operation of the user by changing the position of photographing and adjusting the photographing distance, imaging position, angle between the optical components of the thermal image device 100 and the specific subject thermal image. When the detected correlation degree is larger than the contrast value of the correlation degree in the step A09, entering the step A10;

the correlation value may be a pre-prepared initial correlation value (for example, a judgment value for judging whether the specific subject thermal image is detected to be matched with the subject identification information is used as the initial correlation value), and when the obtained correlation value is larger than the judgment value and represents that the detected correlation of the specific subject thermal image is better than the prepared judgment value, the judgment value is replaced with the obtained correlation value of the currently detected correlation value; as a contrast value for subsequently detecting the correlation, so as to determine whether a specific object thermal image with higher correlation can be obtained subsequently. In this embodiment, the initial correlation contrast of the thermal image device 100 is 72%, the initial correlation contrast is a determination value for determining whether a thermal image of a specific object is detected, and if the correlation of the obtained thermal image data frame is smaller than the comparison value, it represents that the thermal image of the specific object is not detected in the thermal image data frame; this has the effect of indicating whether or not an erroneous subject has been shot when the user cannot obtain the notification information even after shooting repeatedly. Therefore, in fig. 6(a), since the value of the detected degree of correlation is less than 72%, information for notification is not displayed. And as shown in fig. 6(b), the correlation of the detected thermal image data frame with the maximum correlation is 80%, and then the subsequent notification is performed.

In addition, the contrast value of the correlation may not be prepared in advance, for example, when the correlation value of the first detected thermal image data frame is used as the contrast value of the correlation value obtained by subsequently detecting the thermal image data frame, and when the correlation value is detected to be greater than the contrast value, the contrast value is replaced.

Here, whether or not the correlation is larger than the contrast value is taken as a criterion for evaluating the correlation, but the correlation may be smaller than the contrast value or close to the contrast value (a judgment value prepared in advance). The contrast value may be a value of the correlation, or may be a value obtained by converting the value of the correlation, or the like.

Step a10, the contrast value updating section 11C updates the contrast value of the correlation according to the detected value having the maximum correlation, and the updated contrast value is used as the contrast value of the comparative correlation of the subsequent thermal image data frame.

In step a11, the selection unit 11B holds the specific information such as the thermal image data frame corresponding to the detected value having the maximum correlation in the predetermined area of the temporary storage unit 2, and replaces the previous specific information (if any). In addition, specific information related to a predetermined number of plural thermal image data frames, for example, specific information such as a 3-frame thermal image data frame having the highest degree of correlation and a value of the degree of correlation thereof may be held.

And step A12, notifying specific information related to the thermal image data frame with the maximum correlation degree obtained by detection.

For example, the image obtained from the thermal image data frame is displayed together with the dynamic infrared thermal image. The held specific information is held in the temporary storage unit 2 until the specific information newly selected by the selection unit 11B or the user instruction is not received.

The infrared thermal image 601 is not limited to be displayed, and other manners may be possible, such as directly displaying the value for calculating the correlation, for example, directly displaying the value of the sum of the differences between the pixel values. In addition, the display of the dynamic infrared thermal image can be switched to the display of the frozen image of the thermal image data frame; preferably, the detected region of the detection window having the largest correlation (or the position parameter of the object) may be notified. Such as an identification of the location of the object thermal image with the greatest correlation that is schematically detected in a frozen infrared thermal image, etc. Or switching the displayed dynamic infrared thermal image to a frozen image displaying the thermal image data frame, then responding to the indication of a user, and switching back to the display state of the dynamic infrared thermal image, or the state of the image obtained by the thermal image data frame and the dynamic infrared thermal image which are displayed together. In addition, the infrared thermal image obtained by the thermal image data frame can be not displayed, and prompt information can be displayed; or in a manner that can be perceived by various users, such as by vibration, flashing of indicator lights, etc. Also, when the selector 11B is configured to indicate that the multiple frames of thermal image data are held, then the infrared thermal images obtained by the multiple held thermal image data frames may be displayed simultaneously, for example, also displayed in order of the degree of correlation.

Note that when the comparison value (the determination value representing whether the specific object thermal image matches the object identification information) for determining whether there is a specific object thermal image is not compared, the displayed information of the degree of correlation does not necessarily represent whether the specific object thermal image is detected.

Further, the event of updating the contrast value or further notifying the contrast value may be performed without being limited to the specific information selected by the notification selection unit.

And step A13, judging whether to quit, if not, returning to step A03, and repeating the subsequent processing. At this time, since the contrast value of the correlation is updated in step a11, the thermal image data frame obtained in the subsequent shooting is compared with the updated contrast value of the correlation, and when it is larger than the contrast value of the correlation, the held specific information is updated, and at step a12, notification is made.

As shown in fig. 6(b), in the shooting, the maximum correlation degree detected first is 80% (the prompt information converted according to the sum of the proportion of the overlapping areas), the value of the correlation degree is used as the contrast value of the correlation degree for the subsequent comparison, and the infrared thermal image 601 obtained by the thermal image data frame is displayed simultaneously with the dynamic infrared thermal image. When the maximum correlation value is detected to be greater than 80%, the correlation value is 85% as shown in fig. 6(c), the correlation contrast value is replaced by 80% as a new correlation contrast value (85%), and so on, and when the detected correlation value is 95%, as shown in fig. 6(d), the user can stop aiming shooting the subject if satisfied, and the thermal image data frame is retained in the storage medium such as the temporary storage unit 2, so that the subsequent analysis, storage and other processing or operation can be conveniently performed. At this time, if the user presses the record key, the thermal image data frame corresponding to the infrared thermal image 603 is subjected to a predetermined process (e.g., compression) and recorded in the memory card 8. Even in a system in which the presentation information or the infrared thermal image is not displayed, for example, a system in which an indicator lamp blinks, since the thermal image data frame is held in the storage medium such as the temporary storage unit 2, it is also possible to perform processing such as display and recording when the user presses the enter key or the record key.

And, the information for updating the contrast value can also be informed, but the information of the thermal image data frame is not informed.

In some applications, whether or not the specific object thermal image is detected may be determined based on, for example, the predetermined information obtained by the detection and/or a comparison result between an evaluation value obtained from the predetermined information and a predetermined contrast value, without being limited to the comparison between the correlation value and the contrast value of the correlation.

As described above, in this embodiment, when a thermal image data frame with a correlation higher than the comparison value is detected, the thermal image data frame is selected or notified, and when a comparison value higher than the previous correlation is detected in the subsequent process, the comparison value and the notified information can be continuously updated, so that the beneficial effects of greatly reducing the operation difficulty of visual alignment, greatly reducing the physical strength of shooting, and improving the quality of the finally obtained thermal image data frame can be achieved. The ordinary user easily grasps such shooting skills. Of course, it is not necessary for any product that implements an embodiment of the invention to achieve all of the above-described advantages simultaneously.

In addition, in the field of infrared detection, different shooting qualities are achieved by considering the difference of the position, the size, the inclination angle and the like of a specific shot thermal image in the infrared thermal image, even if the correlation degree is high, if the parameters are not ideal, the quality of an obtained thermal image data frame is not necessarily high; therefore, considering factors such as the position, size, inclination angle, and correlation value of the specific object thermal image in the thermal image data frame, for example, an evaluation value (which may be one or more) is obtained according to the above factors, and compared with a prescribed contrast value as a factor for selecting and notifying a prescribed thermal image data frame to prompt a user to pay attention to the quality of shooting, or selecting a thermal image data frame with the best shooting quality for subsequent processing.

Example 2

Embodiment 2 is different from embodiment 1 in that the detection unit 8 of the thermal image system 100 detects the specified information related to the thermal image of the specific object in the thermal image data frame based on the thermal image data frames continuously acquired by the acquisition unit (the photographing unit 1); the control unit 11 includes an auxiliary information acquisition unit (not shown) for acquiring auxiliary information; a comparison unit 11A for comparing one or more items of the predetermined information detected by the detection unit, the auxiliary information acquired by the auxiliary information acquisition unit, the evaluation value obtained by the detection unit from the predetermined information, the evaluation value obtained by the auxiliary information acquired by the auxiliary information acquisition unit, and the evaluation value obtained by the detection unit from the predetermined information and the auxiliary information acquired by the auxiliary information acquisition unit with corresponding one or more contrast values; the selection part 11B selects specific information related to a specified thermal image data frame based on the comparison result of the comparison part 11A, and when a plurality of comparison results exist, the notified specific information may be specific information related to one or more frames of thermal image data frames according to different comparison results; the notification unit 11D performs notification based on the specific information on the predetermined thermal image data frame selected by the selection unit 11B. The contrast update unit 11C updates the contrast.

The specified information at least comprises one or any combination of information of the position, the size, the inclination angle and the correlation value of the specific shot object thermal image.

In the field of infrared detection, different shooting qualities are corresponding due to the fact that different positions, sizes, inclination angles and the like of thermal images of specific objects in the infrared thermal images are considered, even if the correlation degree is high, if the parameters are not ideal, the quality of the acquired thermal image data frames is not necessarily high; therefore, the position, the size, the inclination angle and other factors of the thermal image of the specific shot object in the thermal image data frame are taken into consideration as the factors for generating the notification to prompt the user to pay attention to the shooting quality or select the thermal image data frame with the best shooting quality for subsequent processing.

The auxiliary information at least includes one or any combination of the analysis value, the ambient temperature, the background factor, the wind speed, the humidity, and the distance, and other auxiliary information (including setting by the user) acquired by the thermal image device 100, and includes various other information related to the specified thermal image data frame selected by the selecting unit 11B and/or factors having influence on the information notified by the notifying unit 11D.

In the application field of infrared detection, the quality and the importance degree of the obtained thermal image data frames are different according to the difference of the auxiliary information, and different conditions are required to deal with the processing of comparison, selection, notification and the like of the specified thermal image data frames; for example, when a specific thermal image of the object is obtained, which has an analysis value greater than a predetermined contrast value (e.g., a threshold value of a defect), the object has a defect, and the user should pay attention to the object, and in this case, it is preferable to select and notify specific information related to a thermal image data frame whose analysis value exceeds a predetermined threshold value, which will immediately attract the attention of the user and is significant for infrared detection; for example, considering influence factors such as ambient temperature, background, wind speed, background factors (for example, differences between the background and the thermal image of the object, thermal field distribution of the background, etc.), etc., where the correlation degrees are close, the influence factors may cause reduction in quality of different thermal images and value of subsequent analysis, and a thermal image data frame with small interference of other influence factors should be selected and notified.

The auxiliary information acquiring unit may acquire the auxiliary information, for example, from the thermal image device 100 or a component (not shown) connected to the thermal image device 100 and having a corresponding function, for example, an analysis component acquires an analysis value (the analysis value is not limited to a temperature value, and may be, for example, an AD value, a color value in a pseudo-thermal image, a ratio of a specific image value, or a value obtained by calculating these values according to a predetermined formula, and the like, and the analysis value acquired by the analysis component may be for all pixels in a thermal image data frame or pixels in a specific analysis area), and the temperature sensor acquires an ambient temperature, and the hygrometer acquires humidity, and the distance between the thermal image device 100 and the object is acquired by the distance meter. The auxiliary information may be acquired from the auxiliary information stored in advance in the storage medium, for example, history data of the auxiliary information; or the auxiliary information obtained by combining the current measurement with the historical data of the auxiliary information stored in the storage medium in advance.

Further, a comprehensive evaluation value can be obtained by the prescribed information and/or the auxiliary information; for example, it is possible to adopt a case where specific information among the detected predetermined information corresponds to a different coefficient, and the other predetermined information among the detected predetermined information is combined with the coefficient to obtain an evaluation value; for example, the evaluation value may be obtained by weighting with weights occupied by different pieces of information. The final evaluation value can be obtained by various calculation methods. For example, as shown in fig. 9, assuming that the infrared thermal image 901 of fig. 9(c) is obtained from a detection window having a window coefficient of 0.94 and the infrared thermal image 902 is obtained from a detection window having a window coefficient of 0.8, the evaluation value is the value of the degree of correlation × the window coefficient, and therefore, even if the degree of correlation of the infrared thermal image 901 is smaller than that of the infrared thermal image 902, the evaluation value is conversely high.

Further, a comprehensive evaluation value may be obtained from the predetermined information and the auxiliary information. For example, an evaluation value obtained by integrating values of the position, size, inclination angle, analysis value, and correlation of a specific subject thermal image is obtained, for example, an integrated evaluation value is obtained according to the following expression, where the integrated evaluation value is position × position weighting coefficient + size × size weighting coefficient + inclination angle × inclination angle weighting coefficient + analysis value × analysis value weighting coefficient + correlation × correlation weighting coefficient; alternatively, in another preferable mode, the evaluation value is obtained from a comparison table of the detected predetermined information and the acquired auxiliary information with the comprehensive evaluation value.

Further, some of the predetermined information and the auxiliary information may be used to obtain an evaluation value, and the predetermined information and/or the auxiliary information not involved in obtaining the evaluation value may be used together with the obtained evaluation value as a target of comparison between the comparison unit and a predetermined contrast value.

Wherein, the comparison value updating part 11C updates the comparison value according to the comparison result of the comparison part 11A; when a plurality of contrast values exist, at least one of the corresponding contrast values is updated; when all the contrast values of the plurality of items are updated, after the update, the comparing part 11A is configured to compare the predetermined information obtained by the subsequent detection by the detecting part 8, and/or the auxiliary information obtained by the auxiliary information obtaining part, and/or the evaluation value obtained from the predetermined information and/or the auxiliary information with the contrast values of the plurality of items; when part of the contrast values in the plurality of items are updated, the updated contrast values are compared with the contrast values of the updated items and the contrast values of the items which are not updated in the plurality of items. Preferably, the comparison unit updates at least one of the respective contrast values based on one of the optimum predetermined information, the optimum auxiliary information, and the optimum evaluation value obtained based on the predetermined information and/or the auxiliary information obtained by the detection.

When the detection unit 8 is configured to detect a plurality of pieces of predetermined information of a specific subject thermal image and the comparison unit 11A compares the predetermined information detected by the detection unit 8 and/or an evaluation value obtained based on the predetermined information detected by the detection unit 11A with a plurality of contrast values, the selection unit 11B may select specific information related to a plurality of thermal image data frames based on the comparison result, and at this time, the notification unit 11D may notify one or more of the specific information. Preferably, the selecting unit selects and holds specific information on the thermal image data frame having a correlation value and/or the predetermined information and/or the auxiliary information and/or an evaluation value (evaluation value obtained by the predetermined information and/or the auxiliary information) better than a predetermined contrast value based on the comparison result of the comparing unit. The notifying part selects the specific information related to the thermal image data frame with the correlation value and/or the specified information and/or the auxiliary information and/or the evaluation value (the evaluation value obtained by the specified information and/or the auxiliary information) better than the specified contrast value to notify based on the specific information related to the specified thermal image data frame selected and held by the selecting part.

The control flow of the detection mode of the thermal image device 100 of embodiment 2 is described with reference to fig. 8, and in the following description, three contrast values are provided as an example. The predetermined information (correlation value) about the specific subject thermal image in the thermal image data frame detected by the detection unit 8, the evaluation value obtained based on the predetermined information obtained by the detection and the auxiliary information (analysis value) obtained by the auxiliary information acquisition unit, and the first, second, and third contrast values are compared.

The first contrast ratio is prepared in advance (in this embodiment, the first contrast ratio of the correlation) and is used to determine whether there is a contrast value of the specific subject thermal image (a determination value representing whether the specific subject thermal image matches the subject identification information), and the first contrast ratio is not updated.

The second contrast value (in this embodiment, the second contrast value of the correlation) is a contrast value of the correlation greater than the first contrast value, and is obtained according to the detected correlation value of the thermal image data frame, and when a subsequent thermal image data frame detects a higher correlation value, the second contrast value is updated to a higher value.

The third contrast value, which is obtained as a comprehensive evaluation value in terms of values of position, size, inclination angle, degree of correlation, analysis value, etc., is compared with a corresponding (e.g., previously prepared) third contrast value, and when a higher (more optimal) comprehensive evaluation value is detected in a subsequent thermal image data frame, the third contrast value is updated to a higher value accordingly.

Finally, the selecting part 11B will select specific information about the thermal image data frame that is better than the second contrast value and/or better than the third contrast value; and subsequent processing such as notification, analysis, diagnosis, recording and the like is facilitated.

Step B01-step B02, which is similar to steps A02-A03 of example 1 and whose description is omitted;

step B03, similar to step A04-A08 of example 1, was performed to find the degree of correlation, and the description thereof is omitted;

and B04, judging whether the correlation value of the detected thermal image data frame is greater than the first contrast value, if not, indicating that the specific shot object thermal image is not detected, returning to the step B02, and repeating the subsequent processing.

When the degree of correlation detected at step B04 is greater than the first contrast value, step B05 is entered.

And step B05, the auxiliary information acquisition part acquires auxiliary information such as an analysis value related to the thermal image of the specific object and the like for the thermal image data frame with the correlation degree larger than the first contrast value and/or the thermal image data in the detection window of the thermal image data frame, for example, controls an analysis component to analyze and acquire the analysis value. Further, for example, when the detection section 8 is configured to calculate the correlation by detecting the pixel ratio, it is not limited to determining the position parameter of the detected thermal image of the specific object based on the position parameter of the detection window, and in this case, it is also possible to further extract the contour of the specific object based on the detected detection window to obtain the specific information about the thermal image of the specific object such as more accurate position, size, inclination angle, and the like.

A step B06 of obtaining an evaluation value obtained by integrating the values of the position, size, inclination angle, and correlation of the thermal image of the specific object and the analysis value, for example, obtaining an integrated evaluation value according to the following formula, where the integrated evaluation value is position × position weighting coefficient + size × size weighting coefficient + inclination angle × inclination angle weighting coefficient + correlation × correlation weighting coefficient + analysis value × analysis value weighting coefficient; alternatively, in another preferred embodiment, the evaluation value is obtained from a comparison table of the predetermined information obtained by the detection and the acquired auxiliary information with the comprehensive evaluation value.

Step B07, comparing with the third contrast value, if the third contrast value is smaller than the third contrast value, then comparing the detected value of the correlation with the second contrast value in step B08; if not, jumping to step B19, representing that a thermal image data frame with higher relevance than the currently detected thermal image data frame has been detected before. If so, at step B09-B10, the comparison value update section 11C will update the second comparison value in accordance with the value of the detected maximum degree of correlation. The selection unit 11B holds specific information related to the frame of thermal image data in a predetermined area of the temporary storage unit 2, or replaces previous specific information (if there is specific information related to a previous frame of thermal image data, the correlation of the previous frame of thermal image data is smaller than that of the currently detected frame of thermal image data, and the evaluation value is not the largest among the held frames of thermal image data, the replacement is performed), and in step B11, notifies specific information related to a frame of thermal image data having a correlation larger than the second correlation value.

If the comprehensive evaluation value is greater than the third contrast value in step B07, comparing the value of the degree of correlation with the second contrast value in step B12;

if the comparison value is greater than the second comparison value, at B13-B14, the comparison value updating unit 11C updates the second comparison value and the third comparison value according to the maximum correlation value detected by the thermal image data frame and the maximum comprehensive evaluation value. And, the selection part 11B holds the specific information on the frame of thermal image data in the prescribed area of the temporary storage part 2, or also replaces the previous specific information (if any), and at step B11, notifies the specific information on the frame of thermal image data whose degree of correlation is greater than the second contrast value and whose comprehensive evaluation value is greater than the third contrast value.

If the comparison value is smaller than the second comparison value, at B16-B17, the comparison value update section 11C will update the third comparison value according to the detected integrated evaluation value of the thermal image data frame. The selection unit 11B holds the detected specific information about the thermal image data frame corresponding to the maximum comprehensive evaluation value in a predetermined area of the temporary storage unit 2, replaces the previous specific information (if the specific information about the previous thermal image data frame is present, the evaluation value of the previous thermal image data frame is smaller than that of the currently detected thermal image data frame, and the correlation is not the maximum in the held thermal image data frames, the replacement is performed), and in step B18, notifies the specific information about the thermal image data frame whose comprehensive evaluation value is greater than the third correlation value.

And step B19, judging whether the detection mode exits, if so, ending, and if not, returning to step B02 to repeat the above processing. In this way, the thermal image data frames obtained by continuous shooting are selected and informed of specific information related to the thermal image data frames which are superior to the second contrast value and/or superior to the third contrast value according to the detected specified information; and subsequent processing such as notification, analysis, diagnosis, recording and the like is facilitated. Whether the correlation degree of the detected thermal image data frames is larger than the first contrast value or not is used as a condition for further detecting the specified information, so that the beneficial effects of further avoiding shooting wrong parts and prompting effective specific information can be achieved. The superiority referred to herein may be smaller or larger than the contrast value depending on the contrast value.

A change of the display interface during shooting is explained with reference to fig. 9.

As shown in fig. 9(a), when no thermal image data frame having a correlation greater than the first contrast value (assuming that the percentage of correlation converted from the first contrast value is 72%) is detected, a dynamic infrared thermal image is displayed.

Next, as shown in fig. 9(B), when a thermal image data frame having a correlation degree greater than the first contrast value is detected for the first time, displaying notification information of the dynamic infrared thermal image and the detected thermal image data frame, the notification information being generated based on specific information of the thermal image data frame, such as the thermal image data frame, a value of the correlation degree, and an evaluation value, which is indicated and held by the selector 11B; the notification information includes the infrared thermal image 901 generated by the thermal image data frame, the correlation percentage converted from the correlation value is 80%, and the evaluation value percentage converted from the evaluation value is 80%. Then, the contrast value update unit 11C updates the second contrast value to, for example, 85% and the third contrast value to, for example, 80%; when the thermal image data frame larger than the second contrast value and/or the third contrast value is not detected subsequently, the display part 10 keeps displaying the notification information such as the thermal infrared image 901 and the state of the dynamic thermal infrared image; moreover, since the infrared thermal image 901 is notification information generated by specific information newly obtained at present, the thickened frame reminds the user.

Then, as shown in fig. 9(c), when a thermal image data frame greater than the second contrast value is detected for the first time, displaying specific information about the dynamic infrared thermal image and the detected thermal image data frame, where the specific information includes an infrared thermal image 902 generated by the thermal image data frame, and the like, and here, since the correlation degree corresponding to the infrared thermal image 902 is greater than that of the infrared thermal image 901, and the evaluation value is smaller than that of the infrared thermal image 901, the selecting part 11B maintains the specific information about the two thermal image data frames; the contrast value updating part 11C updates the second contrast value according to the correlation corresponding to the infrared thermal image 902; the notification unit 11D generates notification information indicating specific information obtained by displaying two different thermal image data frames on the display unit 10, and removes the thickened frame from the infrared thermal image 901 and thickens the frame from the infrared thermal image 902. At this time, since the specific information such as the thermal image data frames corresponding to the infrared

thermal images

901 and 902 is maintained in the temporary storage 2, the user can select the corresponding thermal image data frames for subsequent recording or analysis from the information displayed on the display 10 such as the infrared

thermal images

901 and 902.

Further, as shown in fig. 9(d), when the first detected thermal image data frame has the correlation degree greater than the second contrast value and the evaluation value greater than the third contrast value, the selecting unit 11B holds the specific information related to the infrared thermal image 903, or deletes the specific information related to the infrared

thermal images

901 and 902; moreover, the comparison value updating part 11C updates the second and third comparison values according to the correlation (95%) and the evaluation value (95%) corresponding to the infrared thermal image 903; the notification part 11D will cause the display part 10 to display the dynamic infrared thermal image and the specific information related to the detected thermal image data frame, the specific information including the infrared thermal image 903 generated by the thermal image data frame, etc.

In this way, the selection unit selects and holds the specific information on the thermal image data frame having the correlation value and/or the evaluation value greater than the predetermined contrast value (second contrast value, third contrast value) based on the comparison result of the comparison unit; based on the control of the notification part 11D, the information obtained by notifying the thermal image data frame with the highest correlation and/or the highest evaluation value can be always displayed in the interface of the display part 10, which greatly helps the user to photograph, and the high-quality thermal image data frame can be easily obtained by random photographing.

As described above, in this embodiment, not only the effect of embodiment 1 can be obtained, but also the predetermined information of the detected thermal image of the specific object and the auxiliary information acquired by the auxiliary information acquiring unit are provided as selection and notification factors, so that the operation difficulty of visual alignment can be further reduced, the detection accuracy of the object in detecting matching can be improved, misoperation can be avoided, the beneficial effect of prompting a specific state can be achieved, and a general user can easily grasp the shooting skill. Of course, it is not necessary for any product that implements an embodiment of the invention to achieve all of the above-described advantages simultaneously.

Further, although three contrast values are exemplified, more contrast values may be used, and several different evaluation values and/or auxiliary information and/or predetermined information obtained by detection, such as evaluation values obtained from the position, size, and inclination angle of the specific object thermal image, evaluation values obtained from an analysis value, an ambient temperature, and the like, may be applied.

In addition, although a plurality of contrast values (three, or may be reduced to two) are exemplified in embodiment 2, part of them is updated and part is not updated; but may also be configured as a full update; alternatively, a plurality of corresponding contrast values may be prepared in advance without removing the configuration of the contrast value update unit 11C, and all of the contrast values are not updated.

In embodiment 2, the evaluation value obtained from the value of the degree of correlation and the prescribed information and the auxiliary information is described as an example, and notification is also performed based on the maximum degree of correlation and/or the maximum evaluation value. But may also notify only one of them; or more contrast items are configured, and the specific information of a plurality of thermal image data frames selected according to the dominance of different contrast items is correspondingly informed; alternatively, the value of the degree of correlation and the plurality of evaluation values are also notified in order or priority.

The notification unit 11D notifies the specific information on the predetermined thermal image data frame selected by the selection unit 11B and/or the update information (which may be an update operation or information on the updated contrast value) of the contrast value update unit 11C, and preferably notifies the specific information on the predetermined thermal image data frame newly selected by the selection unit (usually, the correlation and/or the evaluation value is larger than the contrast value). Thus, the user is very convenient; for example, the values of the position, size, inclination and correlation of a thermal-fixed shot object are used as evaluation factors, so that a high-quality thermal image data frame or a thermal image data frame required by specific shooting is conveniently obtained; and the auxiliary information is used as an evaluation factor, so that the thermal image data frame is optimized and notified conveniently.

In addition, in embodiment 2, when a thermal image data frame greater than the previous degree of correlation and/or the previous evaluation value is detected, the selection unit 11B replaces (for example, deletes) the specific information obtained from the previous thermal image data frame, but may also keep the specific information, and at this time, the notification unit 11D may also display the specific information related to the plurality of thermal image data frames, for example, display the specific information in an order according to the degree of correlation and/or the level of the evaluation value.

Example 3

Embodiment 3 is different from embodiments 1 and 2 in that functional components (not shown) of the contrast ratio updating unit 11C are removed from the structure of the thermal image apparatus 100 shown in fig. 1, and when it is determined that the detected thermal image data frame is larger than the contrast ratio of the predetermined correlation degree, notification is performed, and the contrast ratio of the correlation degree is not updated.

Step C01-step C02, which is similar to step A02A03 of example 1 and whose description is omitted;

step C03, similar to step A04A08 of example 1, omitting descriptions;

and step C04, comparing the correlation value of the obtained thermal image data frame with a specified contrast value (for example, a judgment value representing whether the specific object thermal image is matched with the object identification information or not), and if not, returning to the step C02.

If yes, in step C05, information about the thermal image data frame that is greater than the specified contrast value is selected and notified, for example, an image obtained from the thermal image data frame is displayed together with the dynamic infrared thermal image. In addition, the display of the dynamic infrared thermal image can be switched to the display of the frozen image of the thermal image data frame; or switching the displayed dynamic infrared thermal image to a frozen image displaying the thermal image data frame, then responding to the indication of a user, and switching back to the display state of the dynamic infrared thermal image, or the state of the image obtained by the thermal image data frame and the dynamic infrared thermal image which are displayed together.

Step C06, whether the process exits is detected, if not, the process returns to the step A02, and the subsequent process is repeated; if yes, exiting.

When a specific shot object thermal image is detected in a subsequent thermal image data frame, replacing the previously kept thermal image data frame, and displaying and informing related information; or, related information is also displayed at the same time; for example, when a predetermined number of thermal image data frames are maintained, the user is notified to select a thermal image data frame to be subsequently recorded, analyzed, or the like from among the thermal image data frames.

As described above, in embodiment 3, even when the thermal image data frame having the correlation degree greater than the predetermined contrast value is detected, the user is notified, the operation intensity of the visual alignment can be reduced, and the general user can easily grasp the shooting skill, and the operation is simple. Since the comparison value is not updated, it is possible to obtain a frame of thermal image data with a poorer quality than before in the subsequent shots.

In this embodiment, the notification may be determined by comparing an evaluation value obtained from the predetermined information on the thermal image of the specific object in the detected thermal image data frame, the predetermined information on the thermal image of the specific object and the acquired auxiliary information in the detected thermal image data frame, and the predetermined information detected by the detecting unit and/or the auxiliary information acquired by the auxiliary information acquiring unit with a predetermined contrast value, and obtaining a result of the comparison.

Further, the configuration of the selection section 11B may be eliminated, that is, when the specific object thermal image is detected, a notification, such as vibration, is made to remind the user.

Example 4

Embodiment 4 is different from the above-mentioned

embodiments

1, 2, and 3 in that the thermal image apparatus 100 detects the frame of thermal image data having the highest correlation based on the multi-frame thermal image data stored in the temporary storage 2 when it is determined that the detection instruction is given. The method is suitable for shooting the fast moving object.

The control flow of the detection mode of the thermal image device 100 of embodiment 3 is explained with reference to fig. 11.

At step D01, the obtained frame of thermal image data, for example, the thermal image data obtained by the photographing part 1, is transmitted to the temporary storage part 2; the display 10 displays a dynamic infrared thermal image, wherein the temporary storage 2 is configured, for example, as a cyclic memory capable of temporarily storing a plurality of (e.g., 50) thermal image data frames, and cyclically stores the thermal image data frames obtained by the photographing unit 1.

In step D02, the control unit 11 determines whether or not there is an instruction to detect? For example, when a detection instruction from the user via the operation unit 12 is detected, the process proceeds to the next step; the detection instruction is not necessarily issued by the operation of the user, and may be issued at a predetermined timing or the like.

Step D03, reading the stored thermal image data frame from the temporary storage part 2 for detection processing, and storing the correlation degree obtained by calculating the read thermal image data frame in the temporary storage part 2; when a specified number (or all) of thermal image data frames are detected, the maximum correlation value and the corresponding thermal image data frame are obtained

In step D04, comparing the obtained maximum correlation with a specified contrast value, if not, returning to step D01, and continuing to display the infrared thermal image or displaying the character of the thermal image data frame without detecting the contrast value;

if yes, in step D05, the comparison value is updated according to the value of the maximum correlation degree obtained by detection; and specific information related to the thermal image data frame with the largest correlation degree is maintained at D06, and notification is performed at step D07, such as displaying an infrared thermal image and a dynamic infrared thermal image obtained by the thermal image data frame.

Step D08, whether to exit is detected, if not, the step D01 is returned, and the subsequent processing is repeated; if yes, exiting.

As described above, in the embodiment 4, when the detection instruction is received, the frame with the highest correlation degree among the frames of the thermal image data stored in the temporary storage unit 2 is detected, so that the operation intensity of the visual alignment can be reduced, the ordinary user can easily grasp the shooting skill, the operation is simple, the calculation speed burden of the processor can be reduced, the cost of the thermal image device 100 can be reduced, and the method is suitable for shooting the fast moving object.

Other embodiments

The thermal image devices 100 as examples of the thermal image selection notification device are each explained in the above embodiments. However, the present invention is applicable not only to thermal image devices with a photographing function, but also to various thermal image processing devices as described previously.

Moreover, not only the entire region of the entire subject but also a plurality of detection windows that divide the subject into a plurality of parts can be detected, so that more accurate detection is possible; in addition, corresponding object identification information (which may be a template or a feature value) is prepared for each component as in the case of the whole.

In this embodiment, the detection unit may obtain the determination result from the object identification information and the determination values corresponding to the plurality of pieces of object identification information, for example, obtain the final determination result by weighting the plurality of feature amounts.

In this embodiment, the detection unit may also calculate a comparison result between one of the feature quantities and the thermal image data frame according to the identification information of the plurality of subjects, and when the comparison result is greater than a predetermined threshold, calculate a comparison result between the next identification information of the subject and the thermal image data frame, and obtain a final determination result according to a plurality of comparisons.

Note that various methods of detecting a specific subject thermal image may be used, and the processing in this embodiment is merely an example of the usable method.

Note that in the above-described embodiments, different combinations of the detection, selection, notification, number of contrast values, update of contrast values, acquisition of auxiliary information, and the like of the thermal image data frames may be performed, and these combinations are within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus (or devices such as a CPU, MPU, or the like) that performs the functions of the above-described embodiments by separately and executing a program recorded on a storage device, and a method known by a computer of a system or apparatus by the steps thereof to perform the functions of the above-described embodiments by, for example, reading out and executing a program recorded on a storage device. For this purpose, the program is supplied to the computer, for example, via a network or from a recording medium of various types serving as a storage device (e.g., a computer-readable medium).

Although the functional blocks in the drawings may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof, there is generally no need for structures to implement the functional blocks in a one-to-one correspondence. Blocks of multiple functions may be implemented by one software or hardware module.

Claims

1. A thermal image selection notification device is provided with,

the detection part is used for detecting the specified information related to the thermal image of the specific object in the thermal image data frames based on the thermal image data frames continuously acquired by the acquisition part; the specified information at least comprises one or any combination of information of the position, the size, the inclination angle and the correlation value of the specific shot object thermal image;

a selection unit that selects specific information related to a predetermined thermal image data frame based on a comparison result of the comparison unit; the specified thermal image data frame can be one frame or a plurality of frames; including one of the following:

1) selecting specific information related to the thermal image data frame with the maximum correlation degree and/or the optimal evaluation value;

2) selecting specific information related to the thermal image data frame with specified information and/or evaluation value superior to specified contrast value;

the specific information is one or more items;

1) thermal image data frames;

2) detecting the obtained specified information; the specified information at least comprises one or any combination of information of the position, the size, the inclination angle and the correlation value of the specific shot object thermal image;

3) an evaluation value obtained based on the predetermined information obtained by the detection;

4) prompt information generated based on the prescribed information and/or the evaluation value;

a notification unit configured to perform notification based on the specific information selected by the selection unit; so that the continuous infrared thermal image and the notification information are displayed to notify the user.

2. A thermal image selection notification device is provided with,

an auxiliary information acquisition section for acquiring auxiliary information;

a comparison unit for comparing the predetermined information obtained by the detection unit and the auxiliary information obtained by the auxiliary information obtaining unit and/or an evaluation value obtained by the predetermined information obtained by the detection unit and the auxiliary information obtained by the auxiliary information obtaining unit with a predetermined comparison value;

the selection part selects specific information related to the thermal image data frame with the specified information and/or the auxiliary information and/or the evaluation value (the evaluation value obtained by the specified information and/or the auxiliary information) superior to the specified contrast value based on the comparison result of the comparison part;

the notifying unit notifies the user based on the specific information on the predetermined thermal image data frame selected by the selecting unit.

3. The thermographic selection notification apparatus of claim 2, wherein the prescribed information includes at least information of one or any combination of values of a position, a size, an inclination angle, a degree of correlation of a specific subject thermal image; the auxiliary information at least comprises information of one or any combination of analysis value, environment temperature, wind speed, background factor, humidity and distance.

4. The thermographic selection notification apparatus of claim 2, wherein the contrast value comprises one or a combination of

1) Updating the contrast value according to a specified condition;

2) the comparison value prepared in advance may be updated according to the prescribed information obtained by the detection;

3) may be self-updated according to the specified information obtained by detection;

4) a fixed contrast value;

5) the comparison unit compares the obtained optimal predetermined information or the optimal predetermined information evaluation value obtained by detection, and updates at least one item of the corresponding comparison value.

5. The thermographic selection notification apparatus of claim 2, wherein the thermographic selection notification apparatus is a portable thermal imager.

6. The thermographic selection notification apparatus of claim 1, wherein the particular information is displayed in an order of relevance and/or evaluation value.

7. The thermographic selection notification apparatus of claim 1, having

A contrast value update unit for updating the contrast value; when a plurality of contrast values exist, at least one of the contrast values is updated;

and, when the contrast value is updated, the comparison unit compares the predetermined information obtained by the subsequent detection by the detection unit and/or the evaluation value obtained based on the predetermined information obtained by the detection with the updated contrast value; when the contrast values of a part of the items in the plurality of items of contrast values are updated, the comparison part is used for comparing the specified information obtained by the subsequent detection of the detection part and/or the evaluation value obtained based on the specified information obtained by the detection with the contrast values of the updated items and the contrast values of the non-updated items in the plurality of items of contrast values after the updating.

8. The thermographic selection notification apparatus of claim 2, having

and, after the contrast value is updated, the comparing unit compares the predetermined information detected and obtained by the detecting unit and the auxiliary information acquired by the auxiliary information acquiring unit and/or an evaluation value obtained by the predetermined information detected and obtained by the detecting unit and the auxiliary information acquired by the auxiliary information acquiring unit with the updated contrast value; (ii) a When the contrast values of some of the contrast values are updated, the comparison unit is used for comparing the specified information detected and obtained by the detection unit and the auxiliary information acquired by the auxiliary information acquisition unit and/or the evaluation value obtained by the detection unit and the specified information detected and obtained by the detection unit and the auxiliary information acquired by the auxiliary information acquisition unit with the contrast values of the updated item and the contrast values of the non-updated items in the contrast values after updating.

9. A thermographic selection notification apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, in which the notification means comprises one of:

1) notifying the specific information newly selected by the selection unit;

2) displaying information obtained by notifying the thermal image data frame with highest correlation degree and/or highest evaluation value;

3) specific information related to the thermal image data frame of which the specified information and/or the evaluation value is better than the specified contrast value is selected.

10. A thermal image selection notification method comprises the following steps of,

a detection step for detecting prescribed information related to the thermal image of the specific object in the thermal image data frames based on the thermal image data frames continuously acquired in the acquisition step; the specified information at least comprises one or any combination of information of the position, the size, the inclination angle and the correlation value of the specific shot object thermal image;

a selection step of selecting specific information related to a prescribed thermal image data frame based on a comparison result of the comparison step; the specified thermal image data frame can be one frame or a plurality of frames; including one of the following:

the specific information is one or more items;

1) thermal image data frames;

a notification step of performing notification based on the specific information selected in the selection step; so that the continuous infrared thermal image and the notification information are displayed to notify the user.